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Australia: The Land Where Time Began |
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Emergence of
Early Tetrapods According to clack1 over the last 15
years or so the study of
tetrapods and related forms that span the so-called ‘fish-tetrapod’
transition has expanded almost exponentially. There are now at least
9 named genera of tetrapod from the
Devonian that
represent this evolutionary event, as well as several new ‘near
tetrapods’ and some new tetrapods from the Early
Carboniferous.
There has now been a radical change in ideas about how this transition
occurred based on the anatomy of
Acanthostega,
and more recently some startling conclusions have been reached following
reassessment of the anatomy of
Ichthyostega,
including the unique construction of its ear region. In this paper Clack1
has summarised the current state of research on this range of animals,
and the acquisition of limbs and digits among tetrapods, including
possible forerunners, the development of digits and their original
function and the onset of pentadactyly. She also brings together the
faunal relations and the palaeoecological contexts of the tetrapods from
the Devonian in a brief, initial survey, and an assessment of the
diversity of tetrapods in the Devonian, which is now believed to be much
greater than previously realised, and some thoughts on future research.
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Author: M.H.Monroe Email: admin@austhrutime.com Sources & Further reading |